The 2010 voyage of the Louis St-Laurent
Hello from the Louis! A Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker's Adventure to the Arctic
The crew of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship,Louis S. St-Laurent invite you to follow along with us on our 2010 Arctic trip. Through this photo blog we hope to offer some insight into the work we are doing, what life at sea is like and share with you a few of the wonderful and amazing sights we see along the way.
Photos courtesy Louis St-Laurent
Facts about the Louis St-Laurent:
Known to the Canadian Coast Guard asThe Louis, this vessel was built in Montreal in 1969 and is named after the former prime minister of Canada. As a 1300 Class Icebreaker, the vessel is fully equipped to support multi-disciplinary science expeditions in the High Arctic. The Louis can house up to 99 persons and has a number of laboratory spaces, in addition to a massive hangar that can accommodate two standard helicopters.
In 1989, the Louis underwent a five-year refit to modernize the bow, replace steam turbines with diesel electric propulsion and introduce a Wartsila Bubbler System. Other improvements including refurbished accommodations.
In 1969, during its inaugural voyage, the Louis escorted the first tanker to go through the Northwest Passage. In 1994, she became the first Canadian vessel to reach the North Pole and later, appeared (in disguise) in the Hollywood movie "Titanic."